MAC faculty and staff are broadening their reach and dissemination capacity in work that supports the health and well-being of women, children, and families. Our research identifies and addresses how social environments may explain many of the health disparities we observe for women and families. While much of the research is accessible through published scientific papers in several journals, we continue to work towards wider dissemination, including policy briefs, reports, and presentations with the goal of increasing awareness and providing tools for researchers, community leaders, policymakers, and others who can act and inspire change.

Turning to the more distal systemic and policy environments, our research highlights the importance of protecting the reproductive rights of women. This evidence-based research is urgently needed in today’s political climate with ideologically-based legislation threatening both women’s rights and population health. Our Editor’s Choice article in this month’s edition of Women’s Health Issues (WHI) demonstrates links between restrictive reproductive rights policies and higher rates of preterm birth and low birthweight infants. In a related publication, Zika: A Missed Opportunity to Protect Women’s Health and Prevent Unwanted Pregnancies, we argue that the emergent threat of Zika virus represents an unprecedented opportunity to shift public health policy, legislation, and programming to bolster and support women’s reproductive rights.